How many of us have had one of those nights when we just lie there, looking at the ceiling with thoughts ruminating around our heads and unable to turn them off? Nearly all of us will have experienced this at some time or another but for many people, this is a common problem that causes them to have night after night of broken sleep.

How often do we wish happiness on other people? Birthdays, weddings, the birth of a child. obtaining a great job or just signing off from work at the weekend. For most of us, granting other people happiness comes automatically and with real sincerity. Why then do we find it so hard to grant ourselves happiness?

Building habits and sticking to them can be tricky. I am sure that most of us at some time or another have set out with the best of intentions when it comes to starting a new routine, giving something up, exercising more, eating or drinking less, only to break the habit almost as soon as it has started. Why is it that we find setting good habits and sticking to them so difficult?

Do you know what you will be doing in 5 years’ time? How about 5 months’ time? Tomorrow? Does it matter if you have no clue as to where your life is heading and what you want to be doing with it? The answer is yes if you want to succeed in life, if you want to grow and progress and see yourself flourish and live life to the full.

Goal setting is there for you to get the best out of life. Without goals in front of you, you will lack focus and drive. Goal setting gives you not only the impetus to get out there and do something, but it also gives you structure and determination.

Life coaches work with you to clarify your goals and ambitions and to set plans for them to be realised. During your sessions, they can identify any obstacles that may set you back and can give you tools to motivate and keep you on track. They will identify strengths and weaknesses, gifts and talents that you can use to change your situation and become the person that you want to be.

As the year ends and a new start is just around the corner, it is traditionally a time that many of us start thinking about making changes in our lives, goal setting and developing positive intentions for the coming year. On average a quarter of the population will make new year resolutions, resolutions such as to lose weight, quit smoking reduce drinking, exercise more, live a healthier lifestyle, improve relationships, get a better job, set new goals and start relaxing more.

People are naturally more optimistic at the beginning of the new year, it’s a fresh start and they fully believe that they will stick to the resolutions and goals that they have set and will accomplish them. Despite all these grand plans and ideas though only a small number of people will achieve their goals, with the majority of people giving up before the month of January is out.

It isn’t just people who suffer from SAD (seasonally adjusted disorder) who suffer from winter blues. For many people, the winter months can prove to be a source of unhappiness and lethargy, that can leave them feeling depressed, unmotivated, and unhealthy. With shorter days, less natural light, and colder weather it can mean that even the most positive person can have days where they feel a bit blah!!

When people think of investment their minds will go straight to shares, hedge funds, property, or business. These are the areas in life that people tend to place real value on when it comes to investing short-term for long-term gain. The reason generally is, that people value wealth and material possessions above everything else. For many, it’s a way of showing their worth, other people can see how far they have come.

Do you ever feel that you have never lived up to your true potential? Are there areas in your life that you have always wanted to transform? Are there goals and ambitions that you have wanted to achieve but have never managed to?

The brain is a very powerful organ, a supercomputer capable of the most amazing feats. It manages the activities that our bodies perform on a daily basis. It processes the information that comes into and goes out of our bodies and it operates our emotions and all of our cognitive abilities, such as our memories and our thoughts.

As a new year dawns, it is very tempting to start a list of resolutions that will often be abandoned halfway through the month. Let’s face it in the Northern hemisphere, when we are confronted with long cold days, very little sunshine, and are having to spend a large part of our time under artificial lighting, setting resolutions and sticking to them is destined to failure. It is the time of the year that our bodies crave carb-rich foods, chocolate, and the odd alcoholic drink. We don’t fancy going out into the cold to exercise and on top of all of that, we have the comedown from Christmas and New Year celebrations.

As a life coach, a frequent question that clients ask is “ how can I find my passion in life?” This question causes many women concern. in the world that we live in today, many people find themselves living a life that they have no passion for which leaves them feeling empty, disillusioned, and hankering after something more.

Over the last few years, the business of Life Coaching has started to get a lot of recognition. There are many influential coaches around such as Anthony Robbins who have really put the business of life coaching on the map. Many people though are still unaware of the benefits of having a life coach. If any of the benefits below resonate with you then life coaching is something that you should be looking at.

The way we talk and think about ourselves can have a very powerful effect on our mental and emotional state. This can be good or bad but for many people the way they talk to and about themselves internally is bad.

Psychologists term this negative self-talk, cognitive distortions and it is both very unhelpful and harmful. This type of mental bad habit can take us to places we really don’t want to go to. Therefore you have to ask yourself why do you do it?

Each relationship you have will be unique and varied. A romantic relationship with a partner, children, parents, friends, work colleagues, each one is different and will require different things from you. The one thing that they each have in common is that you want them all to be healthy and fulfilling.

A lot of people seem to believe that to achieve things in life, you have to be in the right place at the right time. Although this will be the case for certain circumstances, creating opportunities is always going to be the best way for getting the most out of life. Instead of looking at other people who seem to have it all and assuming that their lives are perfect and things just land at their feet, a fairer way is to think that they have searched for opportunities and have used them. This outlook is the best one to have because it demonstrates that anybody can achieve what they want if they create their own opportunities.

Negative thinking can be a major obstacle to overcome in many people’s lives. These can be the little thoughts that go around and around in your head constantly or they can be major ideas, whatever their size, these ruminating thoughts can be highly destructive and need to be eradicated from your thinking.